YSRCP Chalo Medical College Protest: Leaders Under House Arrest, AP Legislative Council Adjourned
The YSRCP launched a Statewide protest demanding that the TDP government roll back its decision to hand over the development of 10 medical colleges to private players under the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model.
As part of the “Chalo Medical College” agitation, senior YSRCP leaders and cadre marched to medical colleges in different districts.
Last week, the State government issued orders to hand over the development of 10 medical colleges to private entities under the PPP model.
As per the order, colleges in Pulivendula, Adoni, Markapuram, and Madanapalle will be taken up in phase one, while those in Penukonda, Palakollu, Amalapuram, Narsipatnam, Bapatla, and Parvathipuram will be covered in phase two.
As YSRCP leaders took to the streets, the TDP government deployed police to clamp down on the protests. Several YSRCP leaders were detained even before the agitation began.
Former MLAs Gopireddy Srinivas Reddy, Vidadala Rajini, and Namburu Shankar Rao were placed under house arrest.
A heavy police presence was posted outside the residence of YSRCP State Youth Wing President Jakkampudi Raja to prevent him from joining the protests.
Amalapuram Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee member Jakkampudi Vijayalakshmi was also stopped outside her residence as she attempted to take part in the “Chalo Medical College” programme at Amalapuram Medical College.
Senior YSRCP leaders argued that the Chandrababu Naidu government’s decision to privatise medical colleges would deprive the poor of opportunities to pursue medical education and access affordable healthcare.
Accusing the TDP-led alliance of doing injustice to the poor, YSRCP leaders also questioned why Chandrababu Naidu had failed to establish medical colleges in the State during his three tenures as Chief Minister.
It may be recalled that the previous YSRCP government had initiated construction of 17 government medical colleges, promising 150 seats each. Five of them — in Vizianagaram, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Machilipatnam, and Nandyal — were inaugurated in 2023–24, while 10 more were scheduled to begin classes by 2025–26.
However, with the change in government, construction work has come to a halt, dashing the hopes of students who could have accessed 2,450 additional MBBS seats over the past two academic years.
Since medical colleges also house teaching hospitals, the fear is that patients will now face charges for consultations, medicines, and diagnostic tests — services that would otherwise be free in government facilities.
AP Legislative Council Adjourned
With the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in session, the YSRCP also submitted an adjournment motion notice seeking a debate in the House on the privatization of government medical colleges under the PPP model.
Subsequently, proceedings in the Legislative Council were adjourned after YSRCP MLCs launched a protest when the Chairman declined their request to hold a discussion on the issue.
